


Broken and Put Back Together

by CartoonLover



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hopeful Ending, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Nightmares, OF AN OC NOT A MAIN CHARACTER, Panic Attacks, Talk of revenge, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-03-24
Packaged: 2019-11-01 04:30:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17860316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CartoonLover/pseuds/CartoonLover
Summary: Louie gets kidnapped then found.This is the aftermath.





	1. Found At Last

**Author's Note:**

> Finally writing a story I've been wanting to write since I started writing, yay! Also, can you tell I have a favorite triplet?

The manor was in chaos as a frantic Scrooge McDuck came barging through the doors. He demanded that Mrs. Beakley set up a room as soon as possible, after almost a month they had done it. 

They had found Louie. 

It wasn't easy and they had gotten almost no rest doing it but they had done it. 

He wasn't in very good shape though, his captors were interested in keeping him alive, not healthy. And he may have looked like he was sleeping in his Uncle Donald's arms but the reality was much worse. His siblings were right behind them looking no better but at least they were awake. The adults hadn't wanted them to come along on the rescue mission but they persisted and they turned out to be a big help. They were the ones who found Louie after all. 

Donald hurried took Louie into the room Mrs. Beakley had set up and where she and Scrooge were waiting then shut the door before the other kids could follow. Webby slid down against the wall opposite to the door in shock as Huey and Dewey started pounding on it. They had been separated from their brother for a month they weren't doing it any longer. 

Scrooge came out of the room a few seconds later and looked at the boys with annoyance. "We need quiet right now, yew can see him when we're done."

"Do you know what's wrong with him?" Dewey demanded to know and Scrooge sighed. Donald probably wouldn't want him to tell them but they needed to know, they probably wouldn't have left it alone anyway. 

"He's malnourished, he hasn't eaten or drunken much in weeks and he fought back, he's got a couple of pretty bad bruises and cuts. He's probably gotten as little sleep as the rest o' us have and it seems like he was just waitin' fer us ta find him befer he passed out fer good. But he should be fine," He quickly assured them when he saw the looks on all their faces. "Right now his body's tryin' ta fix itself so he'll be out for a while but he isn't hurt too bad, it's really just a waitin' game." 

"So why can't we see him?" 

"Beakley is fixin' the cuts and needs room and quiet, plus we dinnae know what kinda state the lad'll be in when he wakes up. He might not remember he was rescued and we dinnae wanna agitate him." 

"We can be quiet!" 

"He needs us!" Huey and Dewey protested because they could and he did. They couldn't even imagine what Louie went through and they weren't sure they wanted to, the state Webby and them found him in was one they never wanted to see again. But Scrooge denied them once again because he really didn't know what state Louie would be in when he woke up and he didn't want it to upset them. He went back in the room and left the three of them to stare upsettingly at the door. 

Huey punched next to it after a few seconds making the other two jump and leaned on the wall with a sigh. Dewey looked at him worriedly and joined him, he knew what he was feeling and hated that either of them had to feel those things. Because yeah the others had missed Louie but they had lost a part of themselves. And now that they had got it back they were still being kept from it and that wasn't okay. 

"The important thing is that he's home right?" Dewey offered unsurely and Huey gave him a sad smile. 

"Right." But it was a lie, and they both knew it. 

A little while later the door opened again and the kids looked up, sometime between after that conversation finished and now the boys had ended up on the floor with Webby but they got off of it when they saw who walked out. It was their Uncle Donald, and he didn't look too good which put them on edge, had something happened? Or was he just worried because of the obvious? They impatiently waited for him to speak as they grabbed each other's hands. 

"He's okay, well okay as he can be. Mrs. Beakley managed to fix his cuts and we're getting fluids into him right now. He's still out though but it's looking less like a coma and more like him just trying to catch up on sleep. He'll probably be out for a while so you might either wanna find something to distract yourselves or get comfortable but you're not going in there, not until we know how he is when he wakes up." They started to protest but he held up a hand and cut them off. "I know, I know you miss him but this is for the best, you will eventually get to see him I promise." 

After that he went back into the room and the three of them sat back down on the floor with a huff. They just couldn't understand why they couldn't see Louie, Mrs. Beakley fixed his cuts they should be able to now. Huey and Dewey shared a look and they knew they were going to try to find a way in, but how they didn't know. The adults were probably expecting them to try to get in and planned accordingly. So why they didn't just let them come in was beyond their comprehension. But they thought it had something to do with what Louie's mental state will be when he wakes up.  

They knew they could help they just had to be let in. And they weren't and it was driving them mad, Dewey was a lot more fidgety than usual and Huey looked like he was two seconds away from exploding. Webby tried to think of a way to help them but knew that it wouldn't be welcome right now, they wouldn't be okay until they saw Louie. She couldn't blame them either she wasn't doing any better. She felt like she was going to burst into tears at any second or that she would punch a wall in frustration like Huey did. 

Suddenly they heard a commotion from the other side of the door. Louie was awake. And it didn't sound good so Huey and Dewey ignored their Uncles' warnings and ran in. What they found inside was Louie seconds away from having a panic attack due to not knowing what was going on and the adults trying to calm him down. It wasn't working so they rushed to his side and tried to calm him down themselves. It worked. 

"You're real?" Louie shakily asked them and they both nodded. 

"We're real. And we're not going anywhere." 

* * *

Huey and Dewey were reprimanded by their Uncles for running in but they didn't really care, the only thing that mattered to them was that they were back by Louie's side. Louie meanwhile still really had no idea what was going on but knew he was with his brothers and that he was safe, he would always be safe with them. Back at that place there were a couple of times where his mind had imagined them but they were real this time, his mind couldn't getting that feeling of safety and comfort right it wouldn't be fair.

He couldn't still be at that place his mind couldn't have gone as far as to give him his whole family. So, he held onto his brothers tightly as everyone recounted what had happened the last month. He knew they were waiting for him to tell them what went on with him but also got that they wouldn't force him to say it. That made him feel better as he wasn't ready to talk about it, he wasn't sure he'd ever be. 

A few hours later Beakley had taken Webby to bed stating that she needed her rest and advised the rest of them to get some sleep as well. She knew they probably wouldn't listen but at least it'd be in the backs of their minds. After she left the others had gotten comfortable in the spots they were currently in, they wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. The boys' uncles attempted to get them to go to sleep and eventually it worked though they knew they wouldn't stay that way for long. And they were right, not even an hour later Louie showed signs of having a nightmare. 

But the nightmare itself was something none of them could imagine... 

_When Louie woke up he was back in the room. He started freaking out, "No nononono." He couldn't be back here they found him, he knew they found him. Had his captor taken him again? Or did he just dream they found him? The scariest part was that he had no idea and he had no clue how to get an idea. If it was a dream, if his mind was playing tricks on him he didn't know what he would do, he just wanted to go home..._

_The door suddenly opened and he crawled back in fright, his captor was back and that was never a good thing. Even when he brought him food Louie always ended up doing something that got himself hurt. He was terrified. He just wanted to go home why wasn't he home? Why hadn't they come for him didn't they miss him? He knew his brothers did, of course his brothers did, but was that enough? He missed them too, so much. He didn't want them here he would never want that but he wanted to be with them, he wanted them._

_A hit to his side broke him out of his thoughts, seemed his captor was talking and that he was ignoring him. But he couldn't let him know he was ignoring him, that's how he would get hurt. And he couldn't get hurt anymore. He already hurt so much. More than anything he wanted to sleep but he had to stay awake, who knew what would happen to him if he fell asleep? And that was what his captor wanted, for him to go into a coma so he could do what he wanted without worrying about Louie fighting back. Cause he was a Duck and Ducks fought._

_Another hit was forced upon him and he knew for certain that his captor knew he wasn't listening. Louie tried to get away but he grabbed him before he had the chance. He immediately started struggling in his grip demanding to be put down. But instead of getting hit again or worse like he was expecting he was brought into another room. What he found shook him to his very core._

_His brothers unconscious, barely breathing and covered in bruises. His captor grinned maliciously at him and he started screaming._

Louie jolted up with a scream which woke the others up and frantically looked around until his eyes settled on his brothers. He quickly grabbed them and sobbed into their arms while they tried to calm him down and looked at their Uncles worriedly. It was clear that even though Louie was found this was far from over. Donald and Scrooge went out of the room to converse about something as Huey and Dewey continued to comfort him. 

Once he calmed down a little Huey asked him a very important question, "Do you wanna talk about it?" Louie quickly shook his head, he never wanted to think about that again. Right now he didn't even want to sleep again. After a few mintues he was able to peel himself away from them and laid back in his bed. They also laid back down but none of them made any moves to go back to sleep. 

"It didn't feel like a dream." Louie quietly stated after a few moments. "That was the scariest thing. I thought I was still there and that my mind was just being a jerk, that you guys hadn't found me. And the whole time I just wanted to be home, to be able to sleep but I knew either weren't possible. And I kept getting lost in thought, no matter how bad an idea that was when he came into the room. It just really felt like I was still there." He wouldn't tell them anything else none of them were ready for anything else. 

"We never stopped looking." Huey said. "Not even for a second. Not even to sleep. Every second you were there everyone was worried and picturing the worst-case scenario. And us, we were distraught, we literally didn't know how to function and if anything more awful had happened to you we don't know what we would've done. We lost a part of ourselves Louie and we're not doing that again." 

"We're not letting someone take you back there or anywhere else. We're not going through this again. You're not going through this again." Dewey stated like they were facts and not hopeful assurances. And it was a bit selfish but Louie was glad he wasn't the only one struggling with this, it was comforting in a bittersweet way. But he still wasn't telling them the worse of it, of all of this, there was no way he was doing that to them. 

"Have you found out who was behind this?" Because this wasn't a coincidence, one of Scrooge's enemies had targeted him and his captor made that very clear. 

"Even if they did they wouldn't tell us they know we would go after them." 

"Which is stupid cause we still deserve to know." Dewey bitterly said crossing his arms. And he was right they did deserve to know, Louie most of all. But their Uncles would probably never tell them, at least not until they dealt with it. But Huey and Dewey didn't want them to deal with it they wanted to deal with it. Someone hurt Louie, very much, and that wasn't okay. And the only thing that would make it okay was hurting that person back just as much as they hurt Louie or maybe even more. 

But they didn't want to think about that right now, they wanted to focus on Louie who looked like he wouldn't be getting any more sleep. And they were right, Louie was not planning on sleeping anymore tonight, he knew he needed it but he didn't want to have another nightmare. He briefly wondered if his Uncles' would be coming back before deciding that he didn't really care. He was too tired to care. But he still wouldn't sleep. 

His nightmare wasn't the only thing that was bothering him, obviously. He had been through so much the last month, he had been through things he never thought he would have to go through and it was all because of who he was related to. It wasn't fair. And he would rather be angry than scared. But that would only last for so long and even he knew that. He just couldn't deal with it right now, any of it, he was too tired too scared and he just wanted to forget about it. So he tried to turn to a light-hearted topic. 

His brothers knew what he was doing and let him, they wanted to think about something else too. They chatted for a while before their Uncles came back in but didn't say anything about them still being up. They did try to get them to go back to bed though. But Louie was still way too scared and if he was staying up so were his brothers. Yet their Uncles persisted, they needed their sleep they all did, it had been a long month and things were finally starting to get better. Louie was home and they had to focus on healing but they couldn't do that if they were tired. 

* * *

After some time the boys fell asleep and their Uncles breathed a sigh of relief. But they didn't relax and didn't take their eyes off of them as they started to talk. They were afraid that if they did Louie might disappear again or one of his brothers would and they couldn't go through that again. But the possibility was all too real and that scared them the most. 

"Donald lad yew should try ta get some sleep." Scrooge eventually said and Donald glared at him in response. 

"So should you." He shot back. 

Scrooge sighed. "We both should but we know that's not happenin' anytime soon. The boys are safe, nothin' can get in this house ae triple-checked meself... Why don't we take it in shifts? We cannae help them if we're tired too." 

Donald nodded, he had a very good point. "I'll take-" 

"Ae'll take first shift." Scrooge interrupted him sternly. "Yew need sleep yew've gotten less than ae have. Get some rest nephew yew've earned it." Donald sluggishly nodded, he was too tired to argue right now and got as comfortable as he could've in his chair. He fell asleep after a few minutes and Scrooge cast him a look before returning his eyes back to his great-nephews. The boys that had changed his life for the better once again. The boys he swore he would never let anything hurt ever again. 


	2. Mixed Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louie's thoughts on everything that's happened.

The days until Louie was allowed to leave the room he was put in were pretty much the same. Everyone stayed for as long as they could've, not wanting to let him out of their sight. Eventually Scrooge had to go back to work and Mrs. Beakley always made sure Webby was in her own room for bedtime but the others never left. Which Louie never complained about, he couldn't be alone, he kept thinking something bad would happen if he was. 

Once Louie was out of that room he immediately went to his own and would stay holed up in there until he absolutely had to leave. He didn't suddenly want to be alone, still quite the opposite actually, but he hadn't been there in a month and since they had moved into the mansion it had become like a safe space for him. And he needed to feel safe. Things were pretty much the same everyone still visited for as long as they could've and his brothers and Donald still never left. It made sense for Huey and Dewey, it was their room too, but they all knew that Donald had only one reason. He was absolutely terrified of losing any of the boys again. 

Little did the boys know however that he would leave when they were asleep to join Scrooge and Mrs. Beakley in finding out who was behind this. They had nothing so far, this person was great at covering their tracks, and it was starting to wear on them. But they couldn't let the kids know for obvious reasons so it all just kept building up. And when it would eventually explode, it would explode. 

Meanwhile Louie was starting to close himself off, he was glad to be home but that meant he had to deal with all that had happened. And that wouldn't be easy. And he was in no way prepared to do it but he wanted to do it on his own, the others were already dealing with so much because of him he didn't want to add on to that. So that meant that he had to sort through his thoughts alone and boy did he have a lot of thoughts. 

They mostly centered around what happened while he was kidnapped but a couple of them were if it'd been worse or if he hadn't been alone, those thoughts scared him the most. He never wanted his brothers to go through what he went through. He never wanted to go through what he went through. 

But he had and he was changed forever because of it. It wasn't right, why did he have to deal with this while his captor went on without a care in the world? That wasn't fair and he wanted them to pay, he really wanted them to pay. 

His emotions were pretty haywire at the moment, one minute he was scared and the next he was angry it was like he didn't know what to settle on so he felt all of them. It was making him even more tired but he didn't sleep because every time he did he had a nightmare. And no matter what anyone else said they weren't going away. None of this was going away. 

He would deal with this for the rest of his life and that was a fact. There was no way he'd ever be a 100 percent completely over this and he hated that there were people who thought he would be. It was easier to hate and be mad than to face any of it and admit that he's scared, cause he is. He just wouldn't admit. Even if everyone could easily guess it. Even if it would make him feel even somewhat better, stubbornness was a McDuck trait after all. And no one did it better than a person that had just gone through something traumatic. 

So all of that combined he wasn't surprised he was closing himself off. He was surprised by his brothers' reactions, however. 

He figured they would leave it alone and let him recover as best as he could've but they didn't because as much as he pushed them away they pulled back just as hard. And it was off-putting at best. It wasn't that he didn't want their support or didn't think he deserved it he was just adamant about dealing with this alone. It never occurred to him that this was causing them to worry just as much as when he had been kidnapped. 

He was too busy being trapped in his own head. 

That night was the first night he attempted to sleep since the last time he tried. It didn't go well. He was barely out five minutes before a nightmare started and he had to suffer through it for a while because his body refused to let him wake up. He was eventually woken up though by his brothers frantic screaming his name. That was fun. 

Apparently he hadn't been responding to anything and that was not at all a surprise to him. Nothing about himself surprised him right now it was usually other people. Except he wasn't surprised by his brothers' responses to his nightmare, he would have been the same if it were one of them. Only right now it was him going through it and he wasn't sure if that was better or worse. 

He didn't get back to sleep after that but he tried to get everyone else to. His brothers admitted that they were afraid of getting their own nightmare and that was the end of that. Until Donald told them all that never sleeping again wouldn't be good for them and it was normal to be scared of nightmares but they couldn't control you unless you let them. Louie felt a little better after that. His Uncle was usually right about this stuff. 

But he still didn't sleep, he couldn't. And he wouldn't for the next few days either until he literally collapsed from exhaustion, good thing he was still in his bed when it happened. That was the only good thing about it. Besides him finally sleeping, that was good too. 

When he next woke up he was glad to see his brothers and Uncle were asleep, seemed like exhaustion finally got to them too. He tried to get comfortable between his brothers once again so he could go back to sleep but he saw something outside the window and screamed. The others woke up with a start and looked at him worriedly. He shakily pointed to the window and stuttered at a response, 

"I sa-saw s-something out ther-re." Donald nodded and got up to go check, and to tell Scrooge. Even if this wasn't anything it was a reminder that security needed to uped around here. Just in case. They couldn't be too careful right now after all. 

Louie kept staring at the window so his brothers tried to take his attention away from it but kept looking at themselves especially when they heard a noise outside of it. They instinctively clutched Louie closer to them and got ready for the worst-case scenario. Luckily Mrs. Beakley had come into the room at the next moment and explained that it just their Uncles looking around. The triplets breathed a collective sigh of relief. 

Louie then collapsed against the bed and let out a groan. "This sucks. I'm tired, I just want sleep." His brothers laid next to him trying to offer as much support as they could. It did more than either of them realized. 

* * *

Because of that incident it would be even longer before Louie came out of his room. But when he did everyone tried not to make a big deal about it, they wanted to ease him into things. Even Webby who would normally be tackling him excitedly by now was acting casual. It was kind of weird. He knew what they were doing and appreciated it but he wanted things to go back to normal. Even if he himself wasn't. 

Especially if he himself wasn't. 

But no one was trying to be normal and it was putting him on edge. Everything was putting him on edge lately. And it was only a matter of time before he went off the edge and he had no idea what would happen then. 

Nothing good, probably. 

One thing that had changed about him in the last few days was that he wanted to be alone more often. It wasn't as scary to him as when he first woke up and it gave him time to really think about things. Which also wasn't as scary, it was the events themselves that would always scare him. And how bad they could have been. Thinking about any of that hadn't become any easier but he no longer had a panic attack every time he tried to. 

It was hard for him to really be alone though, no one was comfortable with him being alone but they did try to give him his space and they did try to be discreet about not leaving him alone. The only ones he could really tolerate being constantly around him were his brothers so it was usually them that stayed with him. They were the best at giving him space but he also needed them in sight so he knew something hadn't happened to them just as much as they did with him. And they may not have got what he was going through, thank god, but they were trying to understand. Even if he didn't want them to. 

He still wanted to deal with this alone but was starting to get that that wasn't a possibility, no one was going to let him. And that was fair, he had been alone for almost a month they didn't want him to be any longer. But he did, or he thought he did he hadn't been completely alone since he got back so he had no way of knowing what would happen, and maybe that was their plan. Or maybe it was just a happy coincidence he wasn't sure. He wasn't sure of much right now. 

The dinner that night was the first he had with everyone since he got back and they all seemed happier for it. However he didn't know what to feel, he tried to be happy too but found he couldn't and he tried to be sad about the fact that he couldn't be happy but he couldn't do that either. The only thing he felt was nothing, and hungry, he was still really hungry. 

Everyone grabbed a plate and started putting stuff on it, most of them couldn't even fill it but Louie got two plates full and no one said anything. Hardly anyone said a thing for the whole meal actually and it was very awkward, but Louie started to feel happy for some reason so he couldn't say too much. But after a while it got to be too much and he had to bolt out of there. He didn't know what was too much or why it was too much he just knew that it was. 

He wasn't expecting to be followed, he thought they would take this to mean to finally leave him alone but life wasn't going in his favor much lately. 

He finally stopped running when he got to a quiet part of the mansion and slumped against the wall, not looking up from the ground even when he heard footsteps fall next to him. He knew it could only be three people and he was okay with any of their company right now. 

"Know why you ran out of there?" His Uncle spoke up as he slumped next to him. He shook his head. 

"That's okay, you went through something I'd hoped you boys would never have to go through. And as someone who went through it myself I know it's not easy. But we're all here for you, you just have to let us be." 

Louie absentmindedly nodded, he knew that already but it was always nice to hear. "I think I just need to do this alone. It's better that way." 

"For who?" For who indeed. 

Nighttime came once again and once again he was terrified to sleep only this time it was because of what could be outside the window. So, they closed the curtain. Then turned on a nightlight when it got too dark. Louie climbed into his bed and his brothers instinctively followed, it would be a while before they were completely okay with sleeping in their own beds. It would be a while before he would be completely okay with sleeping alone. 

The bed was kind of cramped but none of them ever complained, it was better than it being completely empty again. And it only took Louie a few minutes to fall asleep, there was something about being fully surrounded that was comforting. He didn't have any dreams that night but was still unable to sleep throughout it, he would take what he could get at this point. Every time he woke up that night his brothers were already awake, he hoped it was cause they sensed he was awake and not that they hadn't fallen asleep. He really wanted to make sure they were taking care of themselves but for once didn't know how. 

The next morning he woke up alone and freaked out, his brothers didn't leave his side that entire day. 

Eventually it got to the point where he was outside his room more than he was inside just like he used to be before. He still felt nothing. But everyone else felt enough for him right now so it balanced out. And while outside of his room his siblings would attempt to get him to play games with them but he was much too tired for that. He didn't even try. Before he would have attempted to but now he didn't see the point, he only went along because they wanted him to. And even that got tiring. 

He was so tired. 

He didn't know if any of them noticed, he didn't really care he just wanted them to leave him alone. Or maybe he didn't, the last time he was alone he freaked out. But they could get so smothering sometimes and he didn't know how to handle that. He got that they were worried about him and didn't want him to get kidnapped again but they were too much. They tried to get him to do things he didn't want to do, to talk about things he didn't want to talk about and he hated it as much as he could've right now. 

The only people who didn't push him were his brothers, once they saw he wasn't up for games they suggested they all do something else. And they never forced him to talk just reminded him that they were there when he wanted too. He didn't know when that would be, maybe never, but he was glad they reminded him, it was easy to forget right now. It was easy to forget a lot of things right now. However it also wasn't, he felt like he remembered too much sometimes but he didn't remember what he remember.

It was very confusing. 

* * *

Louie got lost in his head a lot more. He didn't mean for it to happen or maybe he did, it was better than the alternative. Dealing with the real world. Because as much as he loved his family and as happy as he was to be back the real world kind of sucked right now. But every time he went into his head he got pulled out. He couldn't complain, well he could but he was too afraid of making his brothers mad at the moment, he thought they would leave him. And as much as he wanted to be alone they couldn't leave him. 

Who knows what would happen if they left him? 

Something could happen to him or them and that just couldn't happen. He refused to let it. He wasn't getting separated from them again. And if that meant them annoying him every now and then then he would take it. It was actually kind of nice when they annoyed him in a weird way, they used to do it all the time before, what else were brothers for right? And he missed them annoying him when he was in that place, he missed everything about them actually. About everyone. The thought of his family was the only thing that got him through all of that, he took comfort in the fact that they would be coming for him. And he knew they would be it wasn't the first time a kidnapping had occurred after he moved into the manor. Only it was usually all of the boys and he didn't have to face whatever happened alone. 

But his captor didn't care about grabbing all of them and he was the first one alone. He didn't even remember why he was probably something to do with Louie Inc.. All he knew was that he was and that he definitely wouldn't be for a while. None of them would be. Who was behind this still hadn't been figured out as far as he knew which meant they were still out there and this could easily happen again. 

Too easily. 

The thought of this happening again was too overwhelming and he started to panic. He was just starting to get used to being home this couldn't happen again, he couldn't go through this again. But he wasn't the only one this could happen too it could be one of his siblings, his brothers. They could get taken at any time and there wasn't anything he could do about it, the thought of them going through that...  

He couldn't breathe, he **couldn't** breathe! 

Scrooge was attracted to the sound of heavy breathing and followed it to see Louie having a panic attack. He also started to panic as he had to idea what to do but then some of the others were drawn to the sound as well and Huey and Dewey took control of the situation. They were acting like they had done this a hundred times before but due to it being Louie they probably had. And they waved everyone away as they calmed him down. 

"Go get Uncle Donald." Huey said gently to Webby when he saw her hesitated; she nodded and took off. After that he turned his attention back to Louie who was slowly starting to come to his senses. He groaned when he realized what happened and leaned into his brothers. He was really hoping that wouldn't happen again. 

"What caused it this time?" Huey asked but he shook his head, he didn't want to tell them about it. He didn't want to tell anyone about it. And he was looking down so he didn't see his brothers share a look. 

"If that's what you want." But he didn't want any of this. 

Once Donald got there they helped Louie up and to his room, he probably wouldn't be in the mood to do much at the moment and would probably want to lay down. Both of those statements were right Louie wanted nothing more than to do nothing for the rest of the day. For the rest of his life. When they got to the room he still didn't say anything and they didn't force him to they knew he would talk when he was ready. Even if he himself didn't know that. 

He turned away from them as he laid down, he knew looking at their faces would make him feel bad and he wasn't ready to feel bad. He wasn't ready to feel anything. He just wanted to sleep for the rest of the day, maybe forever. But when he slept he had nightmares, he couldn't escape any of this no matter what he did and it was making him feel helpless. And all of the things he could be feeling at the moment it was that, of course it was that. 

He felt a hand gently touch his back but didn't flinch he knew his Uncle's touch when he felt it. He knew they wanted him to talk about it, to talk about all of it but that just wasn't happening. No matter how worse it might make things he wasn't talking besides it was kind of hard to talk about his feelings when he had almost none. Cause other than a few brief moments of panic he currently felt nothing. And he didn't know what to think about that so he chose not to. Instead, he thought about anything else like what would be for dinner or the fact that they still hadn't moved from their spots. 

He knew why and it scared him. 

It was cause they were worried about him, everyone was but they knew him best and that also scared him. Helplessness, panic, scared no wonder he closed himself off even from his emotions, it was easier that way. The alternative made him wanna be sick like there was some kind of sludge flowing throughout him and he hated that feeling. Oh and apparently he could add hate to the list wonderful. 

A sigh came from behind him and he thought about turning to see who it was but decided that required too much energy. "Louie you really shouldn't be keeping things to yourself." His Uncle said which gave him his answer. "I know you think it will help but I promise you it won't." 

"I can't." He admitted quietly. 

"Can't what?" Dewey asked confused and he wasn't the only one who was confused, they all were, even Louie who didn't mean to admit that. 

"I can't talk about it right now. I just, I just can't. It's too hard to even feel things at the moment. I'm at one end of the spectrum either I feel nothing or I have a panic attack and... I'd rather feel nothing." He could tell his brothers were about to say something but didn't for some reason and it scared him that he didn't care why. 

"As long as it doesn't hurt you or anyone else do what you need to to get through this, just promise me you'll let us know as soon as you're ready to talk." Donald pleaded. 

"Promise." Louie replied hollowly like he didn't really mean it and Donald had to step out of the room so they wouldn't see him cry. Everyone felt like crying, except Louie who probably needed it the most. He just felt like sleeping maybe this time the nightmares wouldn't be so bad. 

He felt movement from behind him and panicked thinking his brothers were leaving but they just laid down and pulled him in between them. Now he felt like crying too. Only he didn't know why.  

And he was so scared. 


	3. Finding Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally find out just what Louie went through.

Louie jolted up after having another horrific nightmare, he got rid of one and five more appeared, great. He slowly sat up and carefully got out of the bed trying not to disturb his brothers and made his way to the kitchen. He needed some water. When he got there he was surprised to see it was already occupied and even more surprised by who was occupying it. He sighed as he didn't feel like talking, especially to someone who doesn't get him that much; he didn't want to have to explain why he was up or what his nightmare was about and Scrooge just wouldn't get that. So he tried to sneak by him. 

It didn't work. 

It was almost like Scrooge was expecting him to come down but that couldn't happen unless he knew he was having a nightmare. But how could he know something like that? He narrowed his eyes at him before deciding he was too tired to care and tried to ignore his piercing eyes in the back of his head as he got some water. It worked, but only for a few moments. 

"What?" He demanded to know. 

"Ae just wanna know how yer doin' lad."

"How do you think?" He spat out, he had had a short temper lately and it was about one in the morning he didn't have the patience for this. Or anything really. He just wanted to go back to bed and attempt to get some more sleep. 

Scrooge sighed, "Lad ae know what yew went through was horrible but yew've gotta talk aboot it. It's the only way yew'll really feel better."

"No thanks." He left after that and went back to his room. He was hoping to get there before one or both of his brothers woke up and saw he was gone. He probably should have told them where he was going but it was one in the morning. And he was exhausted. He didn't think when he was exhausted.

When he got back to his room he crept his way to the bed and as soon as he got in Dewey jolted up from his own nightmare. And that was Louie's reminder that he wasn't the only one still struggling with this. He still didn't know how to feel about that. He felt Dewey's eyes on his but unlike his Uncle he didn't try to ignore him, it may of been late and he may have had a short temper but his brothers were way more important than all of that. 

Dewey pulled both of his brothers close to him and Huey made a noise but didn't wake up but Louie looked at him worriedly. It was the first sign he had shown of any emotion since his panic attack. And that was almost a week ago. So Dewey pulled him closer and started crying, he couldn't lose Louie again and even if he was still here it was starting to feel like he would. 

Louie hugged him back as he looked down, he knew why Dewey was crying and he knew he should try to assure that he wasn't losing him but he didn't like lying to his brothers. He felt like he was losing himself too. This whole thing had changed him and not for the better. But he didn't want to lose himself, he wanted to go back to normal and for all this to be over. He wanted everyone to stop worrying about him, he wanted to be able to sleep alone in his own bed! He wanted to not be broken. He wanted that more than anything. 

He wanted to know who did this. And that was a thought echoed by everyone. 

But right now he wanted to go to sleep. Though he wouldn't do that until Dewey calmed down. And there was only one way to help him do that, "Do you wanna talk about it?" 

"You were gone again, whoever did this came back and took you. We found you again... only this time it was too late you were," He couldn't say the next word but Louie knew what it was anyway and didn't know what to say. That could very easily happen. To any of them. But he knew one thing, 

"You're crazy if you think I'm dying on you guys." He said quietly. Cause he knew his brothers and knew they wouldn't survive two seconds without him. He didn't know how they managed to get through that month, he barely did it. 

"Maybe." Dewey agreed just as quiet. But he did feel a little better, Louie was strong he would get through whatever was thrown at him. Even if he didn't know it yet. After that they both went back to sleep and all three of the boys slept till morning. It was the longest amount of sleep Louie had had. 

When he woke up the next day he didn't feel like going back to sleep for the first time. But he did feel like staying in bed, he couldn't deal with people today. However the problem with that was that there were already two people in his bed and while he didn't mind them being there he really didn't feel like talking. Hopefully they would get that. He didn't have to worry about that right now as they were both still asleep, he didn't blame them though it was a little weird for Huey. Since they were still asleep it would be a while before he got out of bed but he knew he would eventually have to. And he _really_ didn't want to. If he had it his way he'd never get out of bed again. 

But that wasn't possible. 

So he would try to enjoy it as much as he could right now, it was hard for him to enjoy things. It was hard for him to do a lot of things. He stopped trying a few days ago and either spent his days in bed or in the den in front of a blank TV. The days where he may it to the den were considered good days, he had about two. And today would not make three. He was planning on coming right back here after breakfast or lunch, depending on how late it was. He really didn't care but he was hungry, that was one thing that hadn't changed since he got back, after a month with almost no food he would be hungry for a while. 

And he hoped that wouldn't go away, that would mean something really terrible happened. 

After his brothers woke up none of them moved to get out of bed and they didn't question why. Though Huey and Dewey did question how long Louie had been up for. He had shrugged to tell them he didn't know and that was the end of that. 

They stayed in bed for a while, they didn't have the energy to get up. Louie still didn't feel like talking and doubted that would change anytime soon so his brothers did enough talking for him. Somehow they just knew. Like he hoped they would. But they always got him when it counted so he couldn't be too surprised, he didn't have the energy to be surprised anyway. Or to do anything actually. 

* * *

When breakfast was over he went back to his room ignoring everyone's concerned looks and plopped back in his bed. He also ignored the door opening behind him, he knew who it was. Or whos it was. But like the days before they left him alone and did their own things and if he could feel gratitude right now he would because there's no way he could get through this without them. And they knew it too. However they never said anything, which again if he could feel thankful at the moment he would. 

Well, it wasn't that he couldn't feel it was that he didn't want to. It was easier not to feel anything right now and he needed things to be easy. After a month of what he went through... Things needed to be easy for the rest of his life. He turned to watch his brothers and felt a welcome hint of emotion, ease. They always seemed to put him at ease. Even before all of this whenever he was panicked or scared just their presence was enough to soothe him. That clearly hadn't changed now. 

But it was harder to be at ease lately, it seemed like something was constantly out to get him and it was physically impossible for him to relax. It was even more impossible for him to be comfortable. It was unbelievable, he was in his own home and he wasn't comfortable! He knew why too and it sucked. Even if he wasn't actively thinking about it this whole him getting kidnapped thing was messing him up. That was pretty obvious though. What wasn't obvious was why it was taking him so long to get over it, they had been kidnapped before but this time felt different for some reason. Maybe because it had never been that bad? Or that long? The longest time before was about a week but whoever was behind this clearly knew what they were doing. 

And he still didn't know it was, and that was a problem all on its own. 

He hoped his Uncles had come closer to finding out who it was and that they would tell the rest of them but knew that part wasn't likely. They all knew what Huey and Dewey would do as soon as they found out and he couldn't blame them. But there was a very real chance they could get hurt and he never wanted to be the reason for that. He wasn't okay with his Uncles dealing with it either but they had a much less chance of getting hurt and someone had to do it, whoever did this could not get away with it. 

He didn't know what would happen if they did. But it wouldn't be anything good.

For any of them.

A little while later the door opened again and while that wasn't unusual it did make him look to see who it was. Webby. He hadn't seen her in a while not since, _that_ day. And even then it was only for a second. And even then he was too panicked to actually notice her, or anyone really. If he was being honest he hadn't even noticed his brothers were there until after it was over. All he felt was a calming presence and guessed that it was them. Thankfully he was right. But the point he was trying to make was that he hadn't seen her in some time and he missed her. Until she started trying to talk to him, then he just got annoyed. He still didn't feel like talking. 

And that's exactly what his brothers told her. He didn't hear or see her response but assumed it wasn't good as she sat on his bed and he could feel her eyes on him. What was it with people looking at him lately?! Cause he was really starting to hate it. 

"Leave me alone." He told her quietly. And since it was the first thing he said all day his brothers turned towards them. He gave them a help me look and they immediately jumped into action. Once Dewey got Webby distracted Huey came and sat where she did before and didn't look at him but didn't leave him in silence either. He couldn't find it in himself to be mad. 

"If you want me to leave you alone to just say the word." And he didn't so he didn't. He could practically feel his brother's grin. It made him want to smile too. 

"How are you feeling Louie?" 

And because it was one of his brothers' asking he had to be truthful, "I don't know." He felt everything and nothing all at the same time, he tried to act apathetic but feelings kept slipping through. And no matter how much he attempted to push them down they came back up. It would only be a matter of time before everything came back up. He dreaded the day that happened. 

But what he found really interesting was that he only felt snippets of good emotions around his brothers. With everyone else it was annoyance and anger but he hadn't had that with them. And it wasn't because it was like before, it wasn't, he loved his brothers but they could really get on his nerves. Right now though it wasn't like that, it was only ease and contentment and it was something he was heavily latching on to. It was what was keeping him afloat. 

That night felt different for a lot of reasons. Firstly it was the first night his Uncle Donald wouldn't be sleeping in there. Secondly, it was also the first night they would be leaving the curtain open again, not his decision but his brothers felt like it would be a good one. And finally, he had a strong sense of unease, like something bad was going to happen, and that would make it very hard to go to sleep. But maybe that was for the best, if something did happen at least he would be awake. Maybe he would be able to do something then. 

It turned out to be a long night for him. He kept tossing and turning, he looked at the window every few seconds, and he constantly felt like he was moments away from having a panic attack. So, long night. When he finally managed to fall asleep he instantly bolted up at a sound from the window. He saw movement from outside there and panickedly woke his brothers. After he told them what was going on Dewey started to get up to go get their Uncles but Louie wouldn't let him. But before he could try to convince him the window broke open and they screamed bloody murder. 

* * *

Louie silently excepted a cup of hot chocolate from his Uncle as Scrooge walked into the den where all of them were currently sat. "Whoever it was is gone now, ae made sure o' it." His brothers let out sighs of relief from his sides but he couldn't share that relief, he was too shook up. That was too close, if his Uncles hadn't got there when they did he wasn't sure he'd be here right now. And everyone else knew it too. 

It felt like whoever was behind this was waiting for the moment they were a little at ease to strike, because that was apparently his life now. As long as they were out there he would never be able to be calm or anything other than terrified again. It sucked. But there was nothing he could do about it, he was only ten. And he was terrified.

He watched the others talk about what to do but didn't join in, he had nothing to say. He didn't care what they did as long as it was something he felt sick being a sitting duck and he was getting real tired of it. He wouldn't even be able to feel safe in his own room now! He would never feel safe again.

Before he knew what was happening tears were falling down his face and he was trying to wipe them away before someone noticed. Why was he crying? He was mad not sad, wait mad, no nononono he wasn't supposed to feel anything at the moment! Apathy, that's how he was dealing with this, he couldn't handle his feelings right now the last time he did he had a panic attack! He couldn't have another one of those, ever! He would get through this if he just continued to be apathetic and push down the feelings that flared up. 

Too bad he knew that would never happen. 

He would have to face his feelings about all this eventually, it was only a matter of time. But it didn't mean that time had to be now or any time soon. For now he would choose apathy, and he was okay with that. Even if it wasn't a good decision. He didn't care. He just wanted everything to stop. But it wouldn't and that was making him want to flee, fight or flight, right? And he was never much of a fighter. 

Not like the rest of his family. They could deal with this. 

And that was a bit selfish but he had to be selfish right now. If he started worrying about them things would get so much worse for him, and he had to stop feeling just to deal with his own problems let alone theirs. Yeah, they could deal with this and he would continue to be apathetic. But there was a small problem with that, his brothers. He couldn't make them deal with his things on top of what they were already dealing with, he wouldn't be selfish with them. He refused to. They deserved better and even in his most apathetic state he would know that. No matter how much he wanted to be. 

They were so worried about him, they never left his side since he got back and that was how he repaid them? By not telling them anything? By continuing to let them worry because of it? All because of what, him not wanting to talk about it? That wasn't fair to them. And he did and didn't care and it hurt his head. But the not caring part scared him, since when didn't he care about them? Never, he never didn't care about them, it wasn't like him. This whole not caring thing would never work and it was because of them. He cared about them too much for it ever to.  

But something was still keeping him from feeling again and he didn't know what. 

He suddenly felt a nudge from his side and turned to see Dewey looking at him curiously obviously wanting to know how he was doing. But _he_ didn't know how he was doing, he was trying not to think about what had just happened but it wouldn't leave his head. Because not only was he in danger, his brothers were too and that wasn't okay. That would never be okay. So, he offered a shrug and hoped that would be the end of it. But for once it wasn't. 

Dewey frowned. "Why aren't you talking?" The  _to us_ was implied and for once he didn't have an answer. He thought about shrugging again but knew that would make the situation worse.  

"I don't know." He whispered. "I'm scared." He admitted. "The minute I say something," 

"This becomes real." Huey finished and he nodded. Because that's what was bugging him this whole time and he was just now getting it. If he had never talked about it, he could pretend like it never happened. But it did, and it was time for him to face that. 

"It was horrible there." He said after a few seconds making everyone look at him. "It was cold and dark and I was so scared. At first I had no idea what was going on, that quickly changed and I was being forced to do stuff I didn't want to do. I guess it was to make me too tired to even think of escaping, and it worked, by the time I was done I wanted nothing more than sleep. But I didn't know what would happen if I did sleep so I didn't. I fought back, a lot. Every time he tried to hurt me I fought back and I don't know if you could tell but whoever this was wasn't interested in keeping me healthy, I barely got enough food and water to survive. And he kept talking about how I would be there forever and how you guys couldn't do anything to rescue me, but I knew that wasn't true and I always told him as much. He didn't like that." 

He paused. "I probably ran my mouth more than I should've but I thought that maybe if I kept denying it it wouldn't get to me. And for the most part that worked. But towards the end... I kept wondering what was taking so long. During that whole time I wanted nothing more than to be home and to be with you guys, I missed you all. And the only thing that got me through all of it was knowing you guys were coming for me." It was quiet after he finished which he didn't like, why couldn't they say something, anything? 

Those thoughts flew out of his head when his brothers reached forward and hugged him. He could feel their tears on his back and that made him want to hug them back and never let go. He still didn't feel like crying though. He told them everything, most of everything, but he still didn't want to cry. He still didn't feel anything. 

"We're figurin' out who did this." Scrooge said resolutely. "We're figurin' out who did this and they're gonna pay." The others quickly agreed and Louie felt the first hint of a smile for some time. With all of them behind this this person was getting found. And soon. 

And he had never been more ready for anything in his life. 


	4. Broken and Put Back Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end.

Louie didn't end up getting any sleep that night but neither did anyone else really, they were all determined to find out who was behind this. By the time morning came around they had managed to rule out some of the suspects, Glomgold and Mark Beaks, and had it down to either Ma Beagle or some unknown person. Scrooge did have a lot of enemies. They wanted to go with Ma Beagle, this was well thought out and she was known for that, but they also didn't want to rule anything out just in case. They had to be 100% sure about this before they went forward. For everyone's sake.  

When the sun came up most of the kids' heads went down and they all agreed to take a break. The adults herded the kids off to bed but once they got there Louie refused to go to sleep. Donald tried to persuade him to but he refused, the minute he fell asleep something bad would happen. He knew it. And nothing else bad could happen, ever. He wouldn't be able to handle it. He couldn't handle anything. 

It seemed like this would be what pushed him over the edge. He was too anxious to even try to push down his emotions, but he didn't want this to be. He didn't want to go over the edge, he was fine being on the edge. Or at least he thought he was. Constantly worrying about going over it got tiring, and he was already so tired. So, he tried not to worry about it, he pushed it down with everything else and that had been working fine. 

But now it might be over. And he wasn't ready for it to be over. 

He would be fine if he just continued to not care about things. Why did that have to end? Why did he have to be on the edge anyway? Why did this have to happen? And why couldn't he just forget about everything? He didn't want to keep thinking about this, he just wanted it to stop. 

Why couldn't everything just stop?

Everything seemed to fall apart the next day. Once his brothers woke up they immediately noticed he hadn't gotten any sleep and demanded he try. But he didn't want to sleep. And he told them as much. Their faces soften and they told him they wouldn't let anything happen while he slept, they always seemed to know what he was trying to convey without him saying it. And most of the time he liked that and was comforted by it but right now it did nothing. And he didn't know why. But it made him feel like crying. Maybe he should get some sleep. 

When he woke up things weren't better. That really upset him, he hoped they would be. Sleep should solve everything and he was mad that it didn't. But he didn't want to be mad or sad, he didn't want to be anything. He kind of just wanted to go back to sleep. He wasn't sure for how long maybe forever and that didn't scare him as much as it should've. But he knew he couldn't go back to sleep, he was lucky not to get a nightmare this time, he couldn't push his luck. That never went well for him. 

Once his brothers saw that he was awake they asked him how he slept and he found he didn't have an answer. He didn't know how he slept. Good, maybe, for a while, probably, peacefully, he didn't know. It didn't feel peaceful. It didn't feel like anything. But they were expecting an answer and he couldn't find it in him to let them down so he told them the truth. They didn't seem to like that answer but they didn't tell him that. They didn't have to, he would always know them like the back of his hand. 

Which is why he knew something was bugging them before they said it. But they said something anyway. 

"Louie you're worrying us. We got you back but it feels like we're losing you again. You talked about what happened but not how you're doing now. You're refusing to properly deal with this. You're pushing everything down and pretending like you feel nothing even when we know that's not true. And you may think that's helping but it's not, it's making things worse. You need to deal with this before you can't." Huey stated matter a factly and he was right. He was so right that it was scary. But he didn't know how to deal with it. And that scared him even more. 

He was so scared. 

Before he really knew what was happening he started crying. He was just so scared and anxious and tired, he didn't know what else to do. He was broken. He felt himself being pulled in for a hug and started crying even more. Why he didn't know but it was a long time coming. 

"I'm sorry." He sobbed. "I'm so sorry." Why was he sorry? This wasn't his fault and he knew that. Was he sorry for how he dealt with it? Probably, but they just hushed him and told him he had nothing to be sorry for. That somehow made him feel worse. Cause he knew that wasn't true, he did have a lot to be sorry for. For how he dealt with this, for basically shutting them out, for being mean to everyone else when that was the last thing they deserved. But he could make it better now or start to. 

He could finally talk about how he was doing with this. But when he opened his mouth nothing came out so Dewey took it upon himself to help him. 

"Remember that day that bully was messing with me and ended up almost putting me in the hospital?" Something dark flashed in Louie's eyes to suggest he did remember that day, very well. "Remember how mad you got at me, not for telling you that it was happening but for not telling you how I was feeling about it? You said that it was selfish to not tell you guys how I was doing, and you're not selfish Louie." He finished softly and Louie teared up, he sure felt selfish. And he hated it. 

And that was the push he needed. 

"I'm scared and mad. I've been on edge since I got back, I don't feel safe and I wanted to deal with all of this alone but no one's letting me! And I never mind you guys being around me but all they do is push and smother and I hate it! I know they're worried about me and that they want to make sure I don't get kidnapped again, but I need space sometimes and you're the only ones who get that!... I'm terrified of this happening to you guys too I never want you to go through what I did but with that person out there it's a very real possibility. And that scares me more than anything." He paused to collect himself but then continued. 

"After I had that panic attack I was so scared of having another one. I thought that if I didn't feel anything it wouldn't happen. But no matter how hard I tried feelings popped up and there wasn't anything I could about it. I always dreaded this day, the day when things would come back up all at once and I would have to deal with everything. I knew I would never be ready. But I guess it doesn't matter if I'm ready because everything will still be here anyway. And I know now that it isn't good to not care about things and that it's not healthy. I'm sorry for thinking it was a good idea and I'm sorry for making you think you were losing me." 

"Thank you." Huey pulled him into his arms. "You're going to be okay Louie." He promised. 

"Not until we find who was behind this." 

* * *

After that was over Louie fell into a peaceful sleep for the first time since he got back and his brothers had a conversation about how to fix everything. They had some idea of how bad this was but actually hearing everything... They were definitely right to be worried about him. And they were gonna help him. But they had to leave him alone to do it and they did not want to do that. Ever again. 

There was a good chance they would if that person was still out there and that wasn't acceptable. They had to know who did it. And now. Leaving Louie alone right now was a small price to pay for never doing it again. But they really didn't want to do it. They looked back and forth between him and each other before Dewey spoke up. 

"I will never let anyone hurt him again." 

"We have that in common then." And that settled it. They carefully got up and went out of the room hoping to be back by the time he woke up. The last time they weren't... was something neither of them would ever forget. It was one of the things about this whole experience that would haunt them for the rest of their lives. But they were finally doing something about it, whoever was behind this would not get away with it. Not when they had something to say about it. 

The only question was would their Uncles tell them who it was. If they didn't this would be a lot harder but they would still find out. 

When they found their Uncles they were quietly arguing about something but stopped once they noticed them. They wondered what it was about but decided they had more important things to worry about. 

"Do you know who kidnapped Louie yet?" Dewey asked bluntly. As far as he was concerned there was no time for them to beat around the bushes. Donald and Scrooge shared a quick glance and that gave the boys their answer before they even started speaking. 

"Yes. Ricardo Fox. An old enemy of mine who ae thought disappeared but was wrong." Scrooge saw their fists clench and kept talking. "We are handlin' it though, yew two are stayin' here." They were about to protest when Donald spoke up, 

"Louie needs you guys here right now. And the revenge path is not a path you want to go down, no matter how tempting. It doesn't solve anything. We're only going to talk to him, like adults." They nodded and said that he was right and that they should handle it before going back upstairs. Their Uncles really hoped they were telling the truth. 

"So we both know we're not letting them handle this. How do we do it?" Dewey said as they walked up the stairs. "Maybe Webby knows who that is?" 

But Huey was quick to deny that. "No one else can be involved. We have to do this on our own." Dewey agreed and they both hurried to their room to see if Louie was up. Even though they knew they would have a feeling if he was. Their Uncle was right about one thing though, he needed them right now. So, whatever they planned would have to wait until they were sure he wouldn't wake up while they were gone. And as much as they wanted to go after this guy now they didn't even know where he was. But they would find out. 

They silently opened the door to see him still passed out and smiled before joining him on the bed. They were kind of tired but really didn't feel like sleeping and wanted to be awake when he woke up. While they waited for that to happen Huey grabbed his laptop and quietly began to do some research as Dewey watched their little brother sleep. It was a bit weird but understandable considering the circumstances. He was just so scared of losing him again, they both were. 

"We're gonna fix this." Huey quietly told him not turning his attention from his laptop. And he knew they would but that didn't make him any less scared. Because they almost lost him in a different way. He would never forget that night he had that nightmare and Louie had done nothing to convince him that they weren't losing him. That might have been the scary thing about this whole deal. They could get him back physically but mentally was another story. 

Louie suddenly jolted up and they turned to him worriedly. Once he saw them both there he relaxed as much as he could've and curiously looked at Huey's laptop. It was a sign he didn't want to talk about it but neither of them needed it. They knew him too well. 

"I'm looking up information on Ricardo Fox, he was the one behind this. But he disappeared years ago according to Uncle Scrooge." 

Louie took the laptop from him, "You're not gonna find information that way. If someone's disappeared you can't just look up a name on the laptop and expect to find their life story. You can follow our Uncle's after they leave though." He said knowingly and he wasn't sure if he was okay with them doing this or being left alone. And he knew if he said something they wouldn't do it but, he had to let them. It was the only way the three of them could move past this. 

"You're okay with us doing this?" Huey asked him unsurely.

"No, but you have to... I don't think I can face him. Or my actual captor, it's just best if you guys handle this." But that wasn't the truth, he much rather his Uncles take care of it. But he knew that they wouldn't be able to get past this unless _they_ were the ones who handled it. And he needed them to get past this. More than he needed himself too. He knew he wouldn't be able to start to get past this until they did. They were in this together. 

That didn't mean he wanted to be left alone though. 

He was just starting to really deal with this, he wanted them there and as far away from those two as possible. But he couldn't be selfish right now and they needed to go. Even if he really didn't want them to. 

"Be careful." He pleaded. "If something happened to you guys too..." 

Dewey grabbed his hand, "We will be." He promised. "And when we get back we'll talk about all of this some more." Louie nodded and the three of them hung out until they heard a noise outside. Huey and Dewey went to investigate and saw it was their Uncles leaving. They looked at Louie who understood what they were trying to convey and nodded. Then they gave him a quick hug and checked once more to see if he was okay with them leaving, which he still wasn't but he told them he was. He acted like he was completely fine until they left the room but then, 

All bets were off the table. 

He started freaking out but tried to get a handle on it. They couldn't hear him. No one could hear him. He would be fine he just, had to calm down, but that was easier said than done. And he knew he wouldn't be really fine until they were back. Cause not only did he have to deal with being alone he had to worry about whether or not they would get hurt, or taken. Nope, nope nope nope, he couldn't do this. But he knew that it was already too late, they had left and he couldn't do anything about it. 

* * *

As they walked on Dewey idly wondered if their Uncles knew they were tailing them but then decided that they would've taken them back to the mansion if that was the case. They had to have had no idea. That made him feel better, they weren't gonna stop them for doing this. No one was. However somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered if his Uncle was right, that revenge really doesn't solve anything. But that had to be wrong, if that person was still out there then he could do this to them again. He had to be stopped. At all costs. And getting revenge was the best way to do that. 

"Any ideas on how to do this?" Huey questioned him but he found he didn't have an answer. He spent so much time focused on actually getting revenge that he didn't think about how they would do it. But that seemed to be the thing with him. Hopefully Huey would have something. 

"I have some ideas but I don't think we can really make a plan until we know what we're up against." Dewey agreed and that was why he hoped Huey would've found something on his laptop, so they'd had time to think of something. Now they were just going in blind. And that never ended well. 

"When do you think we'll be there?" 

"I don't know, I hope we get this over soon though. I really hate leaving Louie alone especially when he just starting to deal with everything, we have to do this though." Huey was resolute in that, no matter how scared he was to leave Louie alone this had to be done. And they had to do it. Unlike Dewey he never had a fleeting thought or whether or not they were doing the right thing, he knew they were. This person had done something unforgivable to their brother and he wasn't gonna get away with it. 

They walked for a while keeping a good amount of distance behind their Uncles until they reached their destination. They snuck in before their Uncles had the chance to and search around for Ricardo, they found him standing in a room and quietly came up with a plan. Once they settled on what to do they walked into the room and Ricardo turned around but looked surprised at seeing them. 

"You're not Scrooge." 

"No, we're worse." Dewey coldly said and with that, they lunged forward. 

Louie half-heartedly listened to Webby ramble on about something. She had came to see him shortly after his brothers left and once he convinced her not to tell her Granny where they were she started talking. And he was glad for it, he really missed hearing her talk. Plus it gave him a distraction and he really needed one right now. The alternative was... well he didn't want to think about the alternative. 

She stopped talking which broke him out of his thoughts and looked at her. He realized she was waiting for him to talk but he didn't know what to say, that was happening a lot lately. He really wanted it to stop. She continued to wait so he told her that he hadn't been fully listening and she patiently repeated her question. 

"How are you feeling?" But he didn't know what to say to that either. So, he was honest. 

"I don't know but it's not nothing." She gave him a smile and he felt a small smile involuntarily creep up on his face, it was really hard not to do it around her. But he had lately, he had done a lot to her and everyone else lately. 

"I'm sorry for being so cold to you lately, I've just been trying to deal with all of this in any way I could and I didn't care if I was hurting everyone. But I care about you and I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry." He quietly said trying not to cry. And when he finished she hugged him and said the same thing his brothers said, he had nothing to be sorry for. But he knew that wasn't true, why did they all think it was?! 

"Thank you for apologizing though." She then added on. "I really appreciate it." Whatever he was about to say in response got cut off by the door opening and his brothers sneakily walking in, looking a little roughed up but otherwise fine. He raced off the bed and tightly hugged them. They hugged him back as their Uncles suddenly walked in and made them all go sit on Louie's bed. 

"Webby could you give us a minute?" Donald asked her and she looked at the boys then hesitantly nodded. They told her they'd see her later and gave her a hug before she left. After that he turned to the boys or more specifically Louie. Before he gave them a lecture he needed to know one thing. "How are you doing? Huey and Dewey said you're starting to finally deal with everything." 

"I'm doing okay. Glad you guys are back." He softly admitted and his brothers grabbed each of his hands, they were glad they were back too. Even if they knew something was up with their Uncles. "So, how did it go?" Louie asked his Uncles hoping they somehow didn't know his brothers had been there with them.

"We were goin' ta take care o' it but when we got there he wasn't there." Scrooge said suspiciously and Huey and Dewey sighed, they had been caught. 

"What were you two thinking?! You could've gotten hurt or worse! I told you to stay here, of all times not to listen to me. I get why you didn't, I really do, but this was a really dumb thing to do. And you're grounded, indefinitely." Donald then shook his head and walked out leaving the others speechless behind him. He had never actually reacted to something like that before when it came to the boys. And that let them know they might've really messed up. But they didn't care Louie was safe, that was all that mattered. 

Still... 

"He'll calm down," Scrooge assured them. "Just give him some time. But he's not wrong, yew two did a stupid thing goin' there, however," They looked at him intrigued. "Don't tell yer Uncle but ae'm proud o' yew. This family looks after each other and no one ever portrays that better than yew three." The triplets smiled at each other and it's the first real one Louie's had in days. It goes unnoticed by none of them. Louie's brothers tackled him in another hug and Scrooge quietly took his leave with a smile. 

After they separated Louie looked them over more and they let him. When he determined they were mostly fine he hugged them close to him again, they let him do that too.

"Don't leave me like that again." He pleaded and it became very clear that he would still need them around for a while. Which they were fine with. They needed to be around him too. Once he let them go the three of them layed in his bed and started talking about everything that had happened. Louie came clean about everything, but a certain part of a certain nightmare he had the day he woke up, he would take that to his grave. And maybe he should've told them but they probably had some idea anyway. He told them things he couldn't bear to admit to the others and feelings he thought he'd never share. It felt good getting things out like this, like maybe he was on his way to healing. 

And he listened to them too. Listened to their thoughts and emotions about all of this, cause they had done the same for him. And at the end of it all, no assurances were offered, no promise were made. They were just, there and maybe that was enough, maybe that was what would make him better. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap! Ugh, I'm always so emotional whenever I finish a story. Thank you guys so much for reading and for the kudos and comments, it all really means a lot! I would not be motivated to do this at all if it weren't for you guys. 
> 
> This story was really interesting to write, I've done angst before but this was different somehow. But don't ask me how cause I have no idea! If you can't tell by now Louie is my absolute favorite character and I love writing him. I definitely find his mind the most interesting. 
> 
> Feel free to let me know what you guys thought in the comments! I look forward to hearing it!


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